Before a Business Interruption

OFB-EZ (Open for Business-EZ) - This document contains several planning tools, such as evaluation checklists, to help business users understand their risks and forms for users to enter and store important contact information for employees, key customers, suppliers and vendors.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce -Small Business Preparedness Guide - To minimize the impact of disasters on employees, property, and operations, businesses must make the right preparations.

Document. Document. Document.

Catalog your business items.

Take photos and video of inventory, inside and outside of building and equipment to have documentation for insurance company. Do this both before a disaster hits and after.

Conduct a room-by-room walk-through to determine what needs to be secured.

Attach equipment and cabinets to walls or other stable equipment.

Place heavy or breakable objects on low shelves.

Move workstations away from large windows, if possible.

Elevate equipment off of the floor to avoid electrical hazards and damage in the event of flooding.

Make sure all paths to exits are free from clutter and are easily reached.

Make sure all fire extinguishing equipment is easily accessible and within its service date.

Replace all smoke detector batteries once a year and test them regularly to ensure that they are working.

Have drain systems/pipes/catch basins/parking lots assessed for any issues that could lead to major sinkholes, busted pipes, clogged drains, and deteriorated asphalt in parking lots.

Review your insurance every year and let your insurance company know when you move or maintain a new piece of important equipment.

Contact the Horry County Emergency Management Division to give them a list of your essential personnel so that you and your employees can get back into the area after a disaster. Phone number: 843-915-5150

Prepare for Utility Disruptions

Plan ahead for extended disruptions during and after a disaster. Carefully examine which utilities are vital to your business's day-to-day operation. Speak with service providers about potential alternatives and identify backup options.

Learn how and when to turn off utilities. If you turn the gas off, a professional must turn it back on. Do not attempt to turn the gas back on yourself.

Consider purchasing portable generators to power the vital aspects of your business in an emergency. Never use a generator inside as it may produce deadly carbon monoxide gas. It is a good idea to pre-wire the generator to the most important equipment. Periodically test the backup system's operability.

Decide how you will communicate with employees, customers, suppliers and others. Use cell phones, walkie-talkies or other devices that do not rely on electricity as a back up to your telecommunications system.

Plan a secondary means of accessing the Internet if it is vital to your company's day-to-day operations.

If food storage or refrigeration is an issue for your business, identify a vendor in advance that sells ice and dry ice in case you can't use refrigeration equipment.

Have a solar or crank power charger for phones.

Charge all of your phones and other rechargeable equipment as a storm approaches.

Texting sometimes works even when cell phone lines are jammed. Try texting if you cannot get through on your cell phone.

A phone with an out-of-state area code sometimes works better after a disaster.

If possible, invest in a satellite phone. Phones run as low as $1,000, with calling plans as little as $40 per month.

Have a back up generator to maintain emergency back up power for critical functions and a way to hard wire it in to important equipment.

Secure Facilities

Identify what production machinery, computers, custom parts or other essential equipment is needed to keep your business open.

Plan how to replace or repair vital equipment if it is damaged or destroyed.

Identify more than one supplier who can replace or repair your equipment.

Store extra supplies, materials and equipment for use in an emergency.

Plan what you will do if your building or store is not usable.

Consider if you can run the business from a different location or from your home

Develop relationships with other companies to use their facilities in case a disaster makes your location unusable.

Identify and comply with all local, state and federal codes and other safety regulations that apply to your business.

Talk to your insurance provider about what impact any of these steps may have on your policy.

Have Disaster Supplies on Hand

Flashlight and extra batteries

Portable, battery-operated radio and extra batteries

First-aid kit and manual

Emergency food and water

Nonelectric can opener

Essential medicines

Cash and credit cards

Cyber Security

Protect your data and information technology systems.

Backup your computer data.

Whether your off-site back up is on a server or in the cloud, be sure to test it. Can you access your information from a third-party computer? If so do you know how to do it? Can you access individual documents and files or do you have to perform a complete system restore to open photos, documents and programs?

Keep your login and password information for all websites important to your business written down and in a secure offsite location. Make sure more than one employee has this information.

Keep all of your software product keys available in a secure off site location so that if you have to reinstall your software you can. OFB-EZ has a form for recording this information.

If a storm is approaching send your employees home with their laptops so that they can work off site if necessary.

Use OFB-EZ to document all of your computer equipment. Type, version and model number, serial number, processor speed and memory.

Develop an Emergency Communications Plan

Organize, develop and administer your preparedness program.

Other Preparedness Resources

Business Reentry Registration - The Governor of South Carolina has approved into law a new measure that provides a system for post-disaster reentry certification for businesses and organizations that assist in the restoration of utilities and other services.

Employee Emergency Wallet Card Template (downloads as Word Doc) - Employers are encouraged to modify and print for their employees to carry in their wallet. The card has emergency contact numbers and important instructions for employees immediately following a disaster.

PrepareMyBusiness.org - Disaster planning and preparedness can be your lifeline to staying in business. With proper education, planning, testing and disaster assistance, you will be able to stay in business through any interruption and beyond.

American Red Cross, Ready Rating Program - American Red Cross Ready Rating™, a first-of-its-kind membership program designed to help businesses, organizations and schools become better prepared for emergencies. Members join this free, self-paced program and complete a 123-point self-assessment of your level of preparedness to reveal areas for improvement.

FEMA - Ready Business will assist businesses in developing a preparedness program by providing tools to create a plan that addresses the impact of many hazards.

Department of Homeland Security -To develop an “all hazards approach,” DHS has adopted National Fire Protection Association 1600 (NFPA 1600) as the American National Standard for developing a preparedness program.

CDC Emergency Response Resources - A comprehensive plan for dealing with terrorism-related events should include specific instructions to building occupants, actions to be taken by facility management, and first responder notification procedures.

Insurance

Federal Emergency Management Agency's Flood Smart - At least 25 percent of businesses that close after destructive events such as floods never reopen. From 2011 to 2015, the average commercial flood claim amounted to more than $90,000. Flood insurance is the best way to protect yourself from devastating financial loss. Find the flood risk for your business now using our One-Step Flood Risk Profile.